Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1887-12-15
THE NAVY.

| synopsis of Secretary Whitney's Report
r The Prospects for New Navy Lookins
acknowledgements as Defensive Fac.
tor of the Future-A Naval Reserve
Estimates, Etc.
WASHINGTON. Dec. Sin his annual re.
| port the Secretary OF the Navy saws: ST,
IS with much satisfaction that the depart
ment is able to report upon the occur
FENCES OF the past year. Many difficulties
have stood in the way of the creation of q
| creditable new navy. During the last
year many of these difficulties have been
removed, and If it is the will Of the coun-
try that We should be possessed Of navy
able to maintain, when required, the honor
and dignity OF the Government 1t can
now readily be created"
The secretary then outlines the work
accomplished on the cruisers, armed YES.
sells, coast defenses, etc.
In this connection he adds: "Some
slight delay in the construction Of the
cruisers under contract has doubtless re-
suited in much Earring and unpleasant
ness at first; but at the present time all
concur that the quality of the steel has
been improved, and that more reliable
processes have come to light, and all dis
satisfaction has disappeared. Especially
has the steel made upon the Pacific coast
been notable for it's quality, and the con.
structlon of the cruisers there may mark
an important event in its industrial his
tory"
He says: 1.-THE department deems it
unwlse to follow at present the course of
the European powers in building unpro-
tected torpedo boats. 1t recognizes the
power of the dynamite projectile, and be-
lieves it practicable to embody it in such
manner as to insure that it will reach
any desired object of attack in spite of
known weapons and upon that problem it
is engaged.
81 find myself unable to concur in the
the recommendation that the single tur-
reted monitors be repaired and made
ready for coast defense vessels. An ex.
animation of their characteristics shows
that outside of the ships in our navy no
antagonist could probably be found
against which they could stand for mo-
ment. They were good vessels for their
time, but are entirely obsolete. 1t would
be little less than murder to send men in
these vessels at the present time to en-.
counter any recently built iron-clad."
'Iapprcciate fully that it is onlya a tenn.
porary oxpedient that it is suggested and
with the thought that in the absence OF
any thing else these might be better than
nothing. This has been the theory on
which fifty, and probably seventy, mill
lions have been spent since the close Of
the war. 1t is time to stop it, and be con-
tent only with the best. If every dollar
is made to count upon something of real
value, waste will stoo, and not before"
After describing the extravagant sys-
tenn of repairing vessels n past years, the
repairs often costing several times
much as the vessel did, the secretary
says:
sIt is often the subject of wonder what
has become of the seventy millions spent
upon war vessels since the close of the
war, in view of the fact that there is now
no navy. The foregoing bit of history
will serve as an illustration.
'The pneumatic dynamite gun has been
developed by private enterprise to the
point where it merits Immediate attention.
Whatever destruction a torpedo can dc,
this proj.ctile can do if accurately placed.
Against it's method of attack neither
nets or machine guns are OF any con-
siderable use. It can be fired at such a
distance as to be beyond the effective
range of machine guns, and the line of
flight of its projectile escapes nets. There
are questions to be settled before it's eff
ficiency for naval purposes can be fully
determined. This invention, like every
other, has it's own peculiar problem
to solve, but the zeal and intelligence
thus far given to the development prom
Uses ultimate success. For coast and harbor
defense, to be fired from land batteries, it's
accuracy is substantially established, but
for naval purposes other elements of diff
ficulty in tervene. The movement of the
vessel destroys the possibility of availing
of range previously determined by ex-
pertinent. However, the problems to be
study, and it is believed by those interest
ed that in time all will be worked out.
ga public feeling seems to exist for the
creation of the naval reserve. We have
informed ourselves on the system for
coast defense and naval reserve in foreign
countries and are prepared to formulate
a general plan for a similar organization
to meet the requirments OF our lnstltu'
tions. 1t should resemble in organiza-
tion that of the militia or National Guard;
rest upon the foundation oflocal interest;
contemplate the employment and rapid
mobilization of steamers enrolled on an
auxiliary navy list, and be calculated to
produce the best results upon compare
lively small National expenditure. l ask
for this question the earnest considera-
tion of Congress.
The estimates for the navy and mari ne
corps for the current fiscal year amounted
to $50, 5S9, 47902, and the appropriations tc
26,1S2, 1928 70. The estimates for the fiscal
year ending June 80, 1899, amount to $23,-
AZ, $40, or s., 161, 80 less than the esti-
mates, and So, 754, 7S3. so less than the APP
preparations for the current fiscal year.
Special attention is called to the con-
siderations presented in the report in ref
erence to the provision of additional
facilities for naval work on the Paclhc
coast, especially in the neighborhood OF
Puget Sound, the great coal and iron re
eion of the future upon this coast. Apart
from this question of an additional naval
station, measures should certainly be
taken to place the only naval station now
existing upon that coast, that at San
Francisco, in fully equipped condition.
In three years we shall have twenty-one
wooden vessels remaining; in six years
but tour, and in nine years our entire
wooden navy will have disappeared.
The secretary devotes conslderaoie
space to a chronicle of the progress MADE
in the science of naval ship-building,
coast defense, etc, throughout tho world
during the year. The general tone OF the
report is one of great satisfaction with the
successful development of the secreta rvs
plans for rehabilitation of our navy.
Another and most important subject re-
ferred to is the question of an available
naval reserve on the Gulf coast.
Epidemic of Typhoid at Pittsburgh.
PITTSBURGH, Pa, Dec. 8-The typhoid
fever epidemic continues to spread ana
thu pbysici.ps If the south side districts